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Robanus
'Robanus '(Major God of Death) Robanus is the god of death and the first son of Hosia. He is one of the most misunderstood gods in the Pantheon. 'Beliefs of the Priesthood' The priests of Robanus see the world as a prelude of existence. They believe that life is just a test of Robanus to determine who is worthy to spend the afterlife with him. It is their belief, rightly so, that Robanus determines where each soul goes after death. Robanus has two main faces, one is that of the Dread Lord. This is the face shown to those that still live, and represent the fear and uncertainty of death. This is the face of death to those that oppose the will of Robanus. The other is the comforter. This is the face shown to those that have died. It is Robanus' responsibility to comfort the souls of the dead and to explain to them what has happened. This face is the most unknown as when some one returns from the dead, the memory of this face becomes hazy and hard to remember. The church of Robanus was officially started by the High priest Aukbar Margul, who wrote the commandments of Robanus. Commandments that Robanus has approved of. They are detailed below: 1) Life should not be taken or given recklessly. This basically means Robanus is against murder (see below for difference between murder and clean death.). Also, some say surprisingly, Robanus is against rape. Part of this stems from Robanus' late wife, the goddess of Beauty, Madora. The other part comes from his eighth commandment. 2) The clean death should be given immediately when needed. The clean death, Priests say, is characterized by the person's death benefiting either their soul or the rest of creation. Hopeless alcoholics and murderers and such fall into this category. 3) Souls deserve their just reward after death. Robanus believes that he gets final say in a soul's destination after death. This being the case he despises demons and such that take the souls before Robanus. His priests are instructed to slay demons whenever possible. 4) Eternal life is an abomination. Robanus believes that all should one day bend knee to him. He believes that elongating the life span is fine, but to make oneself immortal, such as through active vampirism, or lichdom, is a blasphemy and an affront to the power of Robanus. It is common practice to grant the clean death to those that are immortal to no fault of their own, and to invoke the right of oblivion on those whose choice it was. Rite of Oblivion: The rite of Oblivion is a powerful right of the priests of Robanus and one they take very seriously. The rite invokes Robanus to completely destroy the soul of a creature, upon its death. The creature it is used upon seems unaffected until they are slain, then if the rite is successful the creature is swept into oblivion and completely destroyed. This prevents, speak with dead, raise dead, and any other form of contact with the deceased. If a priest uses this power recklessly, the lowest punishment is excommunication. Depending upon the circumstances, the punishment may be greater including reversing the rite on the one that called it. 5) The undead are good servants, return them to their rest after they serve you. Robanus believes that reanimated dead are useful but for a priest to keep them around past an immediate use is, not only in bad taste but, an unwarranted punishment on the souls of the undead. Let's just say repeated infractions, displease Robanus. 6) Fear not Death, for in it is the reward for the righteous. The priests of Robanus as a group do not fear death. They see it as the last act in glorifying their master. For a priest of Robanus to die like a coward is blasphemy. His name will be struck from the record books as if he never was. 7) The life giver's place is not among us; if they give up this gift however, accept them with open arms. Robanus doesn't grant spells and prayers to fertile females. If , and only if, a female cannot produce children then can she become a priest of Robanus. This doesn't mean that priests are not allowed to have children, just that the mother cannot be a priest of Robanus. On the contrary, Robanus' faith has spread mostly from being passed from father to son. 8) By knowing death, glorify life. Robanus knows that death is just part of a cycle and that everything dying is just as stupid and pointless as nothing dying. He also realized that life is a precious gift, and those that squander it are more deserving of pity, than contempt. It is worth noting that these commandments are only obeyed by the Orthodox Church. The Cult of the Black Hand pays no attention to it at all. 'Rituals' The holy symbol of the Church of Robanus is the book known as the Tome of Death recorded. It is a special book created by certain means to allow any death recorded in it to travel directly to the High Priest's temple in Gwyneth, Fetesca, and to Robanus himself. The pages must be made of willow wood, with each page blessed by a priest of Robanus. The cover and bookbinding must be made with the skin of a zombie, and assembled by the priest to whom the book will belong. 'Vestments' Black is the color of the church of Robanus, and all priests are expected to wear black while at any church service. The one exception is when a priest of the faith has died. At the funeral service all of the attending priests wear white robes cinched at the waist with a bone belt. For the death of a high level priest very beautiful white masks are worn to represent the face of the Comforter. Funerals are of great importance to the priests of Robanus. They will even give funerals for their worst enemies. For friends, the funeral is a very happy event, one spent in song, and merry making, the most important part of the service is the tale telling. People that know the deceased will come forward and tell stories to glorify the dead. This is thought to influence Robanus in the decision on where to send the soul. For an enemy the Funeral consists of disposal of the body, usually by fire, and then a condemnation of the actions of the dead. This cursing is thought to send the dead to the most painful after life possible. 'Temples' The temples of Robanus are either very elaborate or very simple. The most elaborate temples, such as the High Priest's temple in Gwenyth, are composed of undead bones. The whole temple is an undead creature, allowing the High Priest to change it as he sees fit. (ie. adding rooms, altering dimensions etc.) 'Organization of the Orthodoxy' The Orthodox Church of Robanus has one of the largest world spanning organizations of any church on Meaghana. Each church of Robanus is connected to all others, and ultimately overseen by the Most Dread Patriarch, in Gwenyth, the holy country of Robanus. The Daemonslayers and the Inquisition are two other organizations within the church that recognize the authority of the Most Dread Patriarch, and as such are contained within the organization of the Orthodoxy.The ranks of the Orthodox Church are very rigid and are regulated and maintained at every level of the faith. Adept: This is the most basic servant of Robanus. Adepts commonly are the overseers of graveyards, mausoleums and other burial sites. An adept will usually not rise any higher in the service of Robanus. Initiate: An initiate is the lowest ranked Cleric of the Dread lord. Many clerics, particularly adventuring clerics will remain Initiates their entire life. An initiate is expected to report to the temples of the Dread Lord in any place they visit. Initiates are commonly refered to as "Brother". Priest: A priest is the overseer of a single temple or shrine to Robanus. It is his responsibility to command the local Initiates and Adepts in how they might best serve the Dread Lord. Priests are commonly refered to as "Father". Inquisitor: The next rank of the church is the Inquisitor. While not a stable part of the church hierarchy, the Inquisitors can command the obedience of those below them, and report to those above. All Daemonslayers can considered Inquisitors. Dark Bishop: The Dark Bishops of Robanus oversee all church activity in a particular area, usually less than 1000 square miles. They report directly to the Dread Archbishops. Dark Bishops are refered to as "Your Grace". Dread Archbishops: '''The Dread Archbishops of Robanus oversee the activities of the church within the major countries of each continent. They report to the Dark Ravens of the Church. Dread Archbishops are refered to as "Your Grace". '''Dark Ravens: '''The rank of Dark Raven, is one that is rarely used since the War of Twilight Last. Historically the Dark Ravens oversaw the activities of the church on a Continental scale. They report directly to the Most Dread Patriarch. Dark Ravens are refered to as "Your Emminence". '''Most Dread Patriarch: '''The most dread patriarch is the high priest of Robanus, and oversees the work of the Church on the entire planet. The Most Dread Patriarch is refered to as "Your Holiness". '''Favored Weapon: '''Flail '''Domains: Death & Undeath Noted Followers: Ilath'nis Noted Organizations: Daemonslayers, Inquisition, Order of the Obsidian Flame Category:Gods Category:Robanus